Spirit Hall's Problems

When Zhou Wu saw Thirteen display the Void Devouring Flame, his expression changed drastically.

He had not expected Ye Tian to still dare attack him after learning his identity and arrangements.

What he had not expected even more was that the man before him named Thirteen had such a terrifying soul ring configuration.

Of his six soul rings, only one was purple. The other four were all ten-thousand-year black rings, while the last was an eye-catching red ring!

Even a Titled Douluo could not possess such a terrifying configuration!

Panic filled Zhou Wu's heart, and he could not help wondering whether Ye Tian was truly an ordinary person as the previous investigation had indicated.

He instinctively stepped back behind Black Scar, his guard, and threatened in a flustered tone, "I'm from Spirit Hall! If you dare lay a hand on me, think carefully about the consequences!"

Ye Tian did not look pleased. Without even sparing Zhou Wu a glance, he said, "I've already considered the consequences. If you hurt someone, you pay compensation. I'll pay you twenty Gold Soul Coins later! That's the price you set yourself!"

With that, he waved his hand. "Do it!"

"Yes." Thirteen remained expressionless as he stepped forward with his left leg. The dark blue flame in his palm instantly expanded.

"To deal with trash like you, I don't even need to use my ultimate move."

"Third Soul Skill, Fire Breath Arrow Rain!"

As his words fell, countless tiny flames burst forth from the dark blue fire.

The flames absorbed the Soul Power radiating from Thirteen's body, burning ever more fiercely as they gradually formed dark blue arrows.

"Go!"

Thirteen gently pushed his palm forward, and the arrows shot out.

They streaked toward Zhou Wu and his group.

Black Scar's scalp went numb at the sight. What kind of soul master was this opponent?!

That soul ring configuration was simply terrifying!

Although they were both Soul Emperors, they were not even on the same level!

It left him unable to muster the slightest will to resist.

Yet if he did not resist now, he would only suffer even worse injuries.

Black Scar could only grit his teeth and summon his martial soul, the Tyrant Terror Bear.

The muscles across his body bulged one by one, while fur sprouted from his arms, shoulders, and face.

"Sixth Soul Skill, Tiangang Bear Shield!"

Right from the start, Black Scar used his strongest soul skill.

He hoped it would be enough to block Thirteen's attack.

Behind Black Scar, Zhou Wu was drenched in cold sweat as he prayed inwardly, You have to hold on!

If he could not hold, Zhou Wu would be the one getting hurt.

He secretly regretted not bringing along a few more capable guards.

If he had, he would not have been put in such danger.

But there was no medicine for regret in this world.

The next moment.

The flaming arrows collided with the Tiangang Bear Shield.

Crack.

Without the slightest pause, the flaming arrows pierced straight through the Tiangang Bear Shield and struck Black Scar in the abdomen.

The sizzling sound of flames scorching flesh rang out.

Black Scar let out a pained groan, clutching his stomach as he collapsed to the ground.

"Heh, utterly pathetic. I wonder where you got the nerve to come cause trouble for Young Master Ye Tian!" Thirteen looked coldly at Black Scar on the ground, then walked over and gave him a merciless kick.

He was merely the head of the intelligence department. Among Ye Tian's subordinates, his strength could only be considered average.

If the most elite members of the Heavenly Strategy Army's "North Star" squad had acted, the man before them would have been dead before he could even release a soul skill.

Thirteen then shifted his attention to Zhou Wu.

Zhou Wu instinctively shrank back, pointing at Thirteen as he screamed hysterically, "Y-You, what are you doing? My grandfather, Zhou Qiankun, is a Soul Douluo, and my father, Zhou Doupo, is a Soul Saint!

"And Spirit Hall stands behind me! You'd better think carefully about the consequences!"

Thirteen ignored Zhou Wu's threats entirely. His soul rings lit up again as he continued advancing. "Sorry. My orders are to cripple you. The rest is none of my concern."

Seeing that Thirteen remained unmoved, Zhou Wu was completely terrified.

He wanted to call for the other guards beside him to step up and hold Thirteen off, but to his surprise, they decisively dropped to their knees and shouted for mercy.

Zhou Wu panicked. Clinging to his last shred of hope, he looked at Ye Tian. "Spirit Hall holds grudges. Aren't you afraid of retaliation?"

"Retaliation? What a joke." It was Hu Liena who spoke. Fury flashed in her eyes, and she wished she could kill Zhou Wu on the spot. "Do you think everyone in Spirit Hall is an idiot like you?"

"Having people like you in Spirit Hall is Spirit Hall's greatest disgrace!"

Ye Tian stared expressionlessly at Zhou Wu and did not answer him.

He found this sort of scum irritating just to look at.

So what if Zhou Wu was a member of Spirit Hall? If he had done wrong, he had to be punished.

If Spirit Hall truly came after him in retaliation without distinguishing right from wrong,

then Ye Tian would not mind wiping out everyone they sent.

In any case, Spirit Hall would be destroyed within a few years. At worst, he could take his sister and hide on some island.

But before that, he had to vent this anger!

"No, no!" As Thirteen stepped closer and closer, Zhou Wu's psychological defenses completely crumbled, and he burst into tears from fright.

However, that did not stop Thirteen from acting.

Miserable screams rang through the small courtyard as Zhou Wu's soul rings were crushed one by one, and his martial soul was completely crippled.

For the rest of his life, he would never be able to cultivate as a soul master again.

Ye Tian stepped forward and looked at Zhou Wu with pity. "For Spirit Hall's sake, I'll spare your life. Go back and tell your family that I, Ye Tian, am not someone to be trifled with."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Wu had already fainted.

Still, it no longer mattered whether Zhou Wu had heard his words.

There were so many guards nearby. Someone would surely relay his words to the Zhou Family.

Ye Tian clapped his hands and glanced at Black Scar lying on the ground. "Leave. Do you need me to see you off?"

"We'll leave right away, right away!" Enduring the intense pain from his wounds, Black Scar scrambled to his feet in terror. He did not want to remain here for another moment. The young man before him was simply too terrifying.

He turned to the guards, who had been useless throughout the whole ordeal, and roared, "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and carry Young Master Zhou away!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The guards trembled in fear as they immediately lifted Zhou Wu and fled in a panic.

Watching Zhou Wu and his group leave, Hu Liena could not help stepping forward. "Brother, not every Spirit Hall Branch is as bad as they are!"

"Oh?" Ye Tian looked at Na Na with a smile. It seemed she had deep feelings for Spirit Hall.

Interested, he asked, "How do you know the other Spirit Hall Branches aren't like this?"

"I..." Hu Liena lowered her head and thought for a moment, then argued with a blush, "I once had the chance to follow His Holiness the Pope on inspections of other branches! We went to many places at random, and all of them had very good reputations!"

Ye Tian smiled faintly and tapped Hu Liena's fair forehead. "When those above favor something, those below will follow suit. What you see with your own eyes may not necessarily be the truth. It could also be something they deliberately chose to show you."

"They did it deliberately?" Hu Liena was stunned and could not help asking.

She had never considered that possibility.

Even Bibi Dong, upon hearing those words, fell into thought.

She had always been busy opposing the Hall of Elders and had been rather negligent in overseeing the Spirit Hall Branches.

Only after hearing Ye Tian's words did she suddenly realize that Spirit Hall's poor reputation among commoners was likely inseparable from the actions of these branches.

Seeing that both his sister and Na Na did not understand, Ye Tian clasped his hands behind his back and explained, "You've both spent a long time in tightly governed Spirit City, so perhaps you don't know much about the Spirit Hall Branches."

"In truth, the arrogance and tyranny of the Spirit Hall Branches are not much less than that of the nobles."

Hu Liena's eyes widened in surprise. "Is the situation at the East Sea City Spirit Hall Branch not an isolated case?"

"An isolated case?" Ye Tian sneered and patted his sister's shoulder. "Na Na, you really haven't seen enough of the world. Spirit Hall's history is no shorter than that of the Two Great Empires."

"Spirit Hall possesses every flaw the Two Great Empires have."

"Take Eastsea City, for example. Who do you think will become the next master of the Spirit Hall Branch?"

Hu Liena ventured, "Probably... Zhou Wu's father, Zhou Doupo?"

"Be more confident. Remove the word 'probably.'" Ye Tian looked at the two women, his expression serious.

"Perhaps Spirit Hall's original system was good. So long as a soul master was outstanding, they could join Spirit Hall."

"But judging from the current reality, the authority of each branch has long been controlled by a single family. What difference do you think there is between these families and the nobles?"

"Or, to put it more boldly, since soul masters are stronger than nobles, they are even more overbearing than nobles."

"After hearing all this, do you still think the East Sea City Spirit Hall Branch is merely an isolated case?"

Hu Liena stood speechless. She had never imagined that, in the eyes of ordinary people, Spirit Hall could also be the villain!

"Then... then since you already knew this, Brother, why did you still lean toward joining Spirit Hall before?" Hu Liena asked uneasily, fidgeting with her small hands.

Thanks to Dong for the 200 book coins~